Three Tips to Harness your Creativity

Today I want to introduce my 3 tips on how to keep your creativity cup full and overflowing.

We all have divine times where our creativity is bursting into life. Where the sun sparkles, the birds chirp and we become our own version of a Disney character. Filled with the joy of a new quest, the pen becomes an extension of our essence and the words simply flow.

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. When life has dealt us the short-straw, the world around us dulls to greys, and putting one word in front of the other becomes impossible. Some call it writer’s block, I call it writer’s burnout. The stress and strain of life take its toll. Robbing the very thing that we held most dear:

Our passion. Our creativity. Our art.

Tip One: Silence that inner critique and keep going despite its cruel taunts. Remember that every artist goes through times of self-doubt, the secret to overcoming them is to reach out to those around you for support. I’m a huge champion of this blogging community, they have become a virtual family, offering words of encouragement from a like-minded perspective. I love you all.

Twitters #writingcommunity is another great resource. For more practical advice on conquering this negative beast; read my post on Overcoming Self-doubt.

“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
― Sylvia Plath

Tip Two: Allow yourself time to fuel your Inspiration. There is an abundance of beauty in the world, use everything in your disposal to re-boost your creativity. Books, movies, art, nature or even the hustle and bustle of a busy town. Take nothing for granted. Though every story has been told before, it has never been expressed by you. So feast on the stories surrounding you and then retell the tale.

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.”
― Martha Graham

Tip Three: Let’s not forget that without darkness it’s hard to admire the light. Many artists, myself included, struggle with mental health issues. In times like these, be kind to yourself and practice the steps that help you into recovery. Though you won’t appreciate it at the time, our art is often made stronger for our empathy and compassion to the burdens of life. It is the silver lining to a thunderous storm.

“One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

“Though every story has been told before, it has never been expressed by you. So feast on the stories surrounding you and then retell the tale.” Love this quote! Such a good reminder when you feel like all you are writing is carbon copies of what’s been done. Great post! 😁

Love this post, Lorraine! I know what you mean about the divine times where we’re just burning with creativity! I try to remember how I feel during those times and kind of use that bright happy feeling as a guiding light when I’m feeling a bit lost and not sure where to go. 🙂

You make a good point. People talk about writer’s block all the time but I find writer’s burnout is a much tougher demon to exorcise. I think it’s something we would all benefit from talking about more often!

Thanks for posting! And for the encouragement. Some writers/artists/creators find it useful to work in the same place and at the same time. I have found this to be very helpful — though I often fail to do it for a variety of reasons. Others have found certain external stimuli to be useful — e.g., a walk in nature is often cited. Here is a kind of “catalog” of thinking tools and that can also lead to fruitful questions and thoughts. Here’s a link to the first — alternatives thinking. https://petersironwood.com/2018/12/05/many-paths/